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NHL hockey games, NASCAR races and other live programming will now be broadcast on USA Network and Peacock.
NBCUniversal pulls the plug from NBCSN, its cable sports network.
The channel will close by the end of 2021, and its live sporting events will instead air on USA Network and Peacock.
According to a memo to staff from NBC Sports President Pete Bevacqua, NHL games (including the Stanley Cup playoffs) and NASCAR races will begin to take place in the United States later this year, “with Key pieces of programming from NBCSN moved to USA Network and in some cases Peacock for 2022 and beyond. “
The channel, which launched in 1995 and went through a few iterations before being rebranded as the NBC Sports Network in 2012, served as a cable television hub for NHL hockey, live Olympics coverage, football of the Premier League and NASCAR races. It was available in just under 80 million homes, as of 2020.
In his memo, Bevacqua suggests that the move would boost audiences for NBC’s reputable sports programming by showing it in the United States, which is more widely distributed and has more viewers than NBCSN, while giving the United States a boost. significant increase in programming.
“This will make USA Network an extraordinarily powerful platform in the media market and give our sports programs a significant increase in viewership,” Bevacqua wrote. “We believe the power of this offering is the best long term strategy for our Sports group, our partners and our business.”
Read his full note below.
January 22, 2021
Team: We are all aware of how quickly the media landscape is changing, and our company is taking thoughtful steps to stay ahead of these trends where possible and, in many cases, help define them.
As proof of our strong commitment to live sports programming, we recently moved all linear studio productions from GOLF Channel to Stamford, and we are also producing several new programs for Peacock and other platforms in Stamford. In addition, we are doing more in partnership with our colleagues at Telemundo and Sky Sports.
As of the end of the year, USA Network will begin to broadcast and / or simultaneously broadcast certain NBC Sports programming, including NHL Stanley Cup Playoff games and NASCAR races, as part of the program. ‘a wider transition within society.
At the end of 2021, we decided that the best strategic next step for our sports group and the whole company was to wind up NBCSN completely, with key pieces of programming from NBCSN moved to USA Network and, in some cases, Peacock for 2022 and beyond.
This will make USA Network an extremely powerful platform in the media market and give our sports programming a significant audience increase. We believe that the power of this offering is the best long term strategy for our Sports group, our partners and our company.
This transition, combined with our strong portfolio of assets including GOLF Channel, The Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, RSNs, SportsEngine, GolfNow, digital, audio, sports betting and gaming, puts us in an even stronger position in as leaders in the sports media space and to continue to develop our activity.
We will keep you updated as the plan develops, and please join me for a virtual meeting on Tuesday January 26 afternoon to answer your questions. An invitation to a meeting will follow shortly.
Thank you for everything you do on behalf of NBC Sports Group.
– Pete Bevacqua
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